Painting update & Textile deliveries

I had hoped to post sooner but other things took over. I've had a few deliveries this week. As many of you probably know by now, I love textiles (vintage mostly)


This 1950's Italian Riviera fabric, I really love! I bought it online from Donna. The colours and design are so beautiful. It captures a time when the Italian & French Riviera were so much more glamorous and chic than they are now.


Bought on Ebay

Discontinued Laura Ashley fabric, so pretty and fresh.

Onto the lounge now...
This used to be Alan's office, in that little area under the stairs. However, a few months ago we decided that it would be nice to get rid of the desk & for Alan to share my workroom/office upstairs. This would make the lounge free from work related things and a good place to relax. It was not esthetically pleasing either to be honest... as I'm sure you'll agree... Not very vintage looking....

So we cleared everything out back in August/September


Looking better already!
And this is what we did to it last weekend..

After... much better.
The next job is to make that area look pretty and cosy. This weekend I'll get on to that and will hopefully finish that corner.


Sneak peek at painting in progress... I had to repaint it as the first time around the paint came out darker than I had expected..I am yet to find the backing that I like. Still looking for that perfect wallpaper or fabric... I will post the finished result as soon as it is all finished!

Have a lovely Valentine's day on Sunday!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Vintage shopping

Following on from my previous post, here are some of the things that I bought from Niki's shop. It is hard to go there without coming out empty handed, there are so many beautiful things to tempt you....


I bought a further three pale pink roses as I have an idea of what I'd like to do with them.


I love these colours


I haven't decided yet in which room this picture will go.


The box in itself is so pretty.


This beautiful tablecloth with pink edging

During the week I received some fabric which I recently bought online

Late 19th century beautiful wide satin ribbon.


Vintage towelling fabric


Beautiful blue cabbage rose fabric


Vintage Sanderson curtains

The piece of furniture I spoke of in my last post is being picked up tonight, so no pictures just yet.

VINTAGE FAIR NEWS FLASH: A new fair is being organised by Clare from Daisy Darling (Sorry had trouble adding link) and Lizzie. It's called The Vintage Bazaar for more information, please click on the link.

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Getting my fabric & yarn fix!

It's been lovely and sunny over here, for a change! This morning we all popped in to Frome to do a spot of shopping.

Alan & Miss P walked around the market and the toy shop whilst I headed straight for Catherine's Hill where all my favourite shops are. First I went in to Millie Moon where I bought a selection of fabrics.

I've been having withdrawal symptoms.... I haven't bought any fabric in ages! So this weekend I did something about it. Last night I went online bought some beautiful 1940's & 50's fabrics from Donna and today pretty fat quarters from Millie Moon. I feel much better now!




There is something very pleasing about having a stack of neatly folded fabrics



After Millie Moon, I went to Marmalade Yarns just a few doors away. I haven't been there for weeks and couldn't wait to have a look and a feel of all the new colours and yarns.
I wasn't disappointed, I forgot all about feeling tired and achy from the decorating and played around with the different yarns & colours until I had made my selection.
Maxine and I had a natter and both enthused about the different yarns stacked up on the shelves ...

I left the shop with my bag of yarns and a renewed determination not to let the decorating get in the way of doing some crochet!





I haven't done any crochet in 7 weeks! ;-(( I am already a bit rusty and must somehow find the time to get stuck in to it again. I went on crochet course in June/July so am a beginner in need of plenty of practice. I do love it but decorating the house as well as working (I am self employed, working from home), means that at the moment I don't feel like doing very much at all of an evening!

We are trying to get the whole of downstairs & my work room (upstairs) completely redecorated before Christmas, so are working at it pretty much full time. So many other things are having to be put on hold as result, including not going out as often as usual...
Although we still have the whole of upstairs and the back garden to do from scratch, we will have a little break over Christmas and New Year to re-charge a bit ready for the next onslaught.




I bought a couple of magazine. Debbie Bliss even though I can't knit (yet) I spotted a few patterns that I like so bought it for when I eventually learn how to knit. I also bought Romantic Country magazine which I have not been able to find locally up until today.


Just as I was heading back to the car, I spotted these boxes in the WHSmith's window, perfect for my workroom.

This weekend there has been a lot wildlife activity close to our house. Yesterday evening, a fox was only yards away sniffing a trail of some sort, he was so engrossed in sniffing the ground that he didn't spot us. He got closer and closer, he was magnificent with his big bushy tail. I wished I'd had my camera with me.

This afternoon Alan was doing some gardening when a squirrel leaped from our fence on the house, ran up on to the roof and then for some reason dived down on to our garden table. Alan watched in amazement, it all happened so fast. The landing didn't look too good though, Alan was concerned that he may have been injured as the squirrel looked stunned and walked slowly to hide behind a troth full of plants. He ended up getting wedged between the wall and the hurdle fence. Poor thing looked petrified, eventually Alan pulled the fence away from the wall and the squirrel ran back home as fast as he could.


This evening Alan spotted these deer in the field next to the house. We are fortunate to have a lot of wildlife around us.

Tonight's sunset

I hope that you are having a good weekend what ever you are up to.

A bientôt!

Isabelle x

Enjoy it, spring is here at last!

Daffodils & lilac, such a good combination

Sanderson fabric, I never tire of that design

And now on to this.....

On Tuesday our phone rang, I answered it to be greeted with very loud crackles then all of a sudden, complete and utter silence. The line was dead, I couldn't dial out or receive calls. I then discovered that the internet was not working either. We had been in touch with BT several times over the past 4 weeks as we kept getting terrible interference on the line and at times could barely hear the other caller. Our internet connection was always coming and going. All very annoying and inconvenient.

The earliest BT could come over was yesterday afternoon . They finally discovered that there was a fault on an outside cable which they fixed. Had they paid more attention to all our previous calls, they could have fixed it sooner instead of waiting until we lost all connection. Sorry, feel better now I've had my little moan!

I thank all of you who have left such lovely comments on my blog. I enjoyed reading them all when the internet was connected again. Being without internet for 48 hours means that I have quite a bit of catching up to do now with emails, Ebay and blogging. I shall soon be paying a visit to your blogs though.

During the week, I saw this card sold by Oxfam and sent it to a friend of mine.

I feel sure many can relate to that feeling!

I also found these whilst browsing in a charity shop in Frome

A small throw

Notice the colours again, greens and blues...


Royal Winton jug & pretty aurora borealis crystal brooch

Work in the house is progressing. Phoebe's room has been completed. Alan has been working hard on my work room. We have had a cloud of dust in the house since removing the old wallpaper! Lots of work as the bare plaster is not in good condition. Alan comes out of that room looking as if he has had a bag of flour poured on him. He is good though, not a single complaint!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the arrival of spring time!

A bientôt!

Isabelle x

A thing for Roses

I love roses and their scent. It is one of my favourite flowers, the others being, lilacs, violets, daffodils, stocks, lily of the valley, wild primroses, lavender and bluebells.
I like many others too but those are my absolute favourite and as a result will frequently
feature in my house in one form or another.

Here is a selection of some of my fabrics and things featuring roses.


Close up of roses on a cushion


Picture in Phoebe's room


Chintzware

Rose plate given to me by my parents when Phoebe was

born

One of my favourites

Pretty chamber pot which used to belong my husband's Great

Great Grandmother Louisa Tummon. It was handed down each

generation and now is with us. My husband Alan is very interested in

Family tree and as a result many things are passed down to him for safe

keeping or to be investigated further. The chamber pot is something I

would chose to buy if I saw it at an antique market but the fact that

it has history behind it and that it belonged to Alan's Great Great Grandmother

makes it all the more special.

Here is a lithogragh of Louisa Tummon

(dates from around 1890's)

Painting hangs in the lounge, bought a couple of years ago from

Niki (Nostalgia at the Stone House)

I really like this fabric

Vanity brush & mirror

Curtains

I have a pair of these cushions, I really like blue roses on

fabric.

Hat with roses and a vintage scarf.

A bientôt!

Isabelle x